Birding Texas: Cedar Ridge Preserve

Formerly known as the Dallas Nature Center, the Cedar Ridge Preserve is an outstanding bird watching spot in Texas. Consisting of 650 acres, the Cedar Ridge Preserve has many Texas bird watching habitats, including ponds, forests, prairies, and more. In addition to bird watching, there are over 9 miles of trails here to hike, as well as butterfly gardens and other areas to explore. Cedar Ridge Preserve is located just 20 minutes from downtown Dallas, Texas, and if you are looking for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Indigo Buntings, Greater Roadrunners and more, this is the bird watching spot for you. For tips on finding and identifying just a few of the species you may see while bird watching at Cedar Ridge Preserve in Texas, see below.

Purple Finch. You'll recognize this beautiful little finch while bird watching from its rose colored body, streaked softly with brown on its back, as well as the faint red wash on its sides and belly. It also has brown wings. Look for this finch while bird watching in the forests of Cedar Ridge Preserve in Texas, where you will see it foraging for seeds, fruit, insects and caterpillars.

Rusty Blackbird. Identify this blackbird from the bluish-green sheen of its black feathers, as well as its yellow eyes. It prefers the wet, marshy areas of Cedar Ridge Preserve in Texas, so look for it while bird watching near the ponds and wetlands. You'll see it wading in the shallow water looking for small fish, as well as hunting on land for insects, caterpillars, salamanders and seeds. The Rusty Blackbird sometimes eats smaller birds, too. Its name comes from its song, which sounds like a rusty hinge.

Black-capped Vireo. Look for this small Vireo in the open, grassy areas of Cedar Ridge Preserve in Texas, where you will see it foraging for spiders and insects. Recognize it while bird watching from its olive upperparts and black hood, along with its distinctive white spectacles and red eyes. Black-capped Vireos have been on the endangered species list since 1987, mainly due to nest invasion by cowbirds.

Chuck-wills-widow. This large nightjar can be found when bird watching at dawn and dusk in the open forests at Cedar Ridge Preserve in Texas. Recognize it from its mottled brown, gray and black body, as well as its white collar. It also has brown legs and feet and its tail is edged in white. Look for it hunting for insects at Cedar Ridge Preserve in Texas.

Painted Bunting. Recognize this beautiful bird from its greenish-bronze back, red underparts and rump, and bright blue head. It also has green shoulder patches and red eyes, a very colorful little bird. Look for it while bird watching near the brushy areas on the edge of the forests at Cedar Ridge Preserve in Texas, where you will see it foraging for seeds, caterpillars and insects. You may also find it in the brush near the ponds at Cedar Ridge Preserve in Texas, as it likes swampy, wet areas.

Lapland Longspur. Look for this sparrow-like bird in the grassy areas of Cedar Ridge Preserve in Texas, where you will see it foraging on the ground for insects. Identify it while bird watching from its black crown, face and throat, as well as its reddish-brown nape. It also has a yellow bill with a dark tip, and a brown-streaked black back. These birds are also known as Lapland Buntings. Winter flocks of Lapland Longspurs have been recorded in numbers of up to four million birds.

Source list:

Personal experience

http://www.audubondallas.org

http://identify.whatbird.com

http://www.allaboutbirds.org